Dear One
by letgolaughing
Summary: Day 5 of EC Week, Role Reversal. I was dreading this topic but it turned out to be the one that I love the most so far. Evil King and our lovely Regina with a few tricks up her sleeve. A one shot cannot do it justice and therefore this story will have three chapters. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Day 5 of EC Week! Role Reversal - Evil King and Peasant Regina. This is going to be three chapters long. I will post the second chapter on Day 7 as I won't be writing for that day's topic because it is being saved for...something else to torture you all with ;) and then the third chapter will be posted on the nonexistent Day 9 that I have created just now lol! Enjoy! Please leave a review :)**

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Dear One,

I was halved the moment I was born

The other piece of me is inside your mouth

And I was found whole the moment you spoke

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His interest and amusement was peaked when his black guard brought in a furious woman. She was kicking and pulling and fighting with her livid shouts and hissed insults and demands that they let her go. They didn't, of course, but it did take two of his guards to keep her there and a third tailing behind to catch her if she did escape. It was quite a sight to be seen really. Most peasants his guards brought to him were terrified or pleading and begging for mercy. She was neither of those things. She was only angry. It humoured him.

"What is this?" He questioned after his men pushed her at him. She was beautiful. For a peasant. Long dark hair pulled back in a tangled ponytail, equally dark eyes glaring back at him, soft pink lips, and a figure that was practically flawless beneath the simple ivory linen, dark green corset, and rusty brown skirt that cut off just above her ankles. She was beautiful and angry and as she was working to steady her furious breaths, one of his men decided to give her one last shove forward. She didn't take kindly to it.

With a snarl she swung around and didn't hesitate to connect her fist with his nose, "quit pushing me around, you bastard!" She roared as he stumbled back and swore as the blood poured from his nose. It was hardly a moment before his friends' hands were on her again and she whirled around to face them. They stopped and let go of her at the wave of their king.

With one final glare in their direction she turned and faced the man himself. He was taller than her by a good few inches, his clothes were black and the shoulders of his heavy black cloak looked to be the fur of a grey wolf. He was strong but that was only physically. His eyes were a cold blue and were so empty and lifeless they were haunting. Inside he was weak and tired and dead. She could tell. And when he smiled there was no smile to be found. His lips curled in to something like a sneer. Condescending, arrogant, careless. She was half expecting to find his teeth to be filed to a point.

"She was stealing, your majesty."

"I paid every copper for those loaves," she retorted in a growl over her shoulder before looking back at the cold king looming over her, "quite frankly I don't know why they dragged me here."

"Well I am certain there would have been very little dragging involved had you cooperated and used your feet for walking rather than kicking," he replied smoothly and danger flickered in those dark eyes of hers.

"I didn't steal any bread," she reiterated hotly with a sharp tongue and a tight jaw as she quirked her head and scowled.

"It wasn't the bread you stole, wench," the bloodied guard snapped and she spun around again and moved to lunge at him but when he flinched, she stopped with a satisfied smirk and the king took her upper arm in his grip and tugged her back to him. So the guard finished, "it was the coins from Richard's coin sack she snagged."

"Is that true?" He inquired slowly with a blatant threat and she slowly drew out a furious breath through her nose as his grip remained tight on her arm and her hand remained above her head because of it. Even with her slack elbow bent.

"Not entirely, no."

"Do tell the rest of the tale then, my dear," he offered quietly with a tilt of his head. But she remained silent. "Tell me!" He bellowed in her face and she didn't so much as blink.

She let the silence linger in the throne room for awhile longer and when she did speak it was on her own terms. He clearly didn't appreciate her stubborn behaviour but she didn't care. "Your people are hungry. A child took your oblivious guard's coin purse and I took it to buy him bread so he wouldn't spend it all on sweet confectionaries. That is when this Richard character decided to start paying attention."

"You didn't return the money to my guard?"

She heard his threat, heard his game, and she rose to the occasion, "I never said I didn't take it. It is curious to me how you are still breathing if your black guard can so easily be robbed blind."

As tempting as it was to take her bait, he simply sneered and leaned in closer, "stealing from my guard is stealing from me. It is a crime punishable by death."

"If you caught every man, woman, and child who stole from your guard, you would have entire villages of dead people with full bellies," she hissed and he leaned in closer with a sneer that was tainted with a snarl.

"Shall I have my way with you before I send you to the archer's post?" He was answered with a hard slap across his face. It stung and sent him spinning away from her as his hand released her arm. In hardly the blink of an eye he had unsheathed his sword and spun full circle so the blade was against her throat and his fingers hooked in to the tight laces of her corset over her stomach so that she couldn't step away.

Her rage was finally matched by his. The blade was cold against her skin and his teeth were bared in a vicious snarl only inches away from her face as he loomed above her but she didn't flinch. "You are a coward," she growled and the pressure against her throat grew enough to make her worry he would break her skin.

"I am no coward, wretch."

"You hide in this enormous dark castle all by yourself and throw around death sentences left, right, and centre," she snarled and he grew all the more livid, "you refuse to see what evil you have cast over this kingdom. You are a blind coward with a cold and selfish heart," she bit cruelly.

"I will kill you."

"I dare you to try," she hissed as she leaned in to his blade and another sneer pulled at his cruel mouth. When he moved to slice through her neck, she pulled her head back and kicked his feet out from beneath him. When he fell to the floor she kicked the sword up and out of his hand and caught it in her own before she pointed it at him. He was on his feet again in mere moments and he was absolutely livid. It only encouraged her. His guards moved to take her down but again with a wave of their king's hand, they stopped in their tracks.

"Nasty little minx," he breathed with a bitter laugh and a cold sneer. When he held out his hand his guard's sword filled it and with a couple swirls around his wrist and fingers, he began circling around the infuriating brunette. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself in to."

"You are an arrogant prick and I know exactly what I have gotten myself in to," she snapped back and his laughter was gone as he lunged at her. She stopped him with ease. He was quick but she was quicker. They fought hard and they fought dirty but she managed to narrowly escaped every blow and slice of his sword.

The clanging metal rang through the room and the guards had stepped back to give them plenty of space but the king and pretty peasant were getting nowhere fast. Her skill met his effortlessly and while she found it satisfying, he found it absolutely infuriating and to her that was the best part. She dodged and she skipped and he lunged and blocked and just by chance she managed to tear his borrowed sword from his grip and proceed to place her stolen blade against his throat with a good and heavy pressure.

Both of them were out of breath. Their bodies were pressed together and she could see the desire in his eyes to wring her neck in his hands but he dared not move as his blood started to slide down his sword. "What made you turn so dark," she whispered against his lips as his heavy breath shook against her jaw, the pair of them both trying to hide just how much effort they had exhausted on the other.

"It is a long story."

"Tell it to me anyway," she breathed out and then after a moment's pause she carefully withdrew the sword from his neck, never breaking eye contact. Not even to look at the blood trickling down his neck.

...

He very much despised going to these parties. Theses galas. He only attended them to make certain the upper class didn't assume him dead. This one was no different than the rest. Men and women alike all dressed in their finest and most colourful outfits, dancing, eating, drinking. In his opinion the music was too loud and the people talking over it were obnoxious. And there was one woman amongst the room somewhere who had the most grating laughter he had ever heard. It made him cringe every time he heard it.

He hated these events.

Bored, his gaze moved to the door to see who had entered now. An older couple. The man rather stout and round and a head of balding grey hair, the woman taller and thinner with a considerable bust and brown hair pulled up off her neck. He didn't think much of them at all really but he did notice the people around them respectfully dipping their heads in greeting which let him know they held a great deal of status or at the very least were incredibly respected amongst the upper class. For whatever reason, his eyes lingered on the younger woman in their company. Unlike the older woman ahead of her in a burgundy gown, she wore a dark forest green coat that fastened tightly around her slender waist and fell behind her and over her hips to skim the floor. The fabric was satin he decided, with black leaves and vines and swirls patterned in it. Or perhaps it was a darker green. It was elegant either way and was accented with black buttons and lapels. The black leather pants were also a far cry from the rest of the women's gowns amongst this gala.

But while her curious attire was what had caught his attention, it wasn't what made it linger. Her hair was twisted and braided away from her face but the rest fell behind her back in long silky curls. Her lips were blood red. Dark and full. Her eyes looked to be drawn on with black but he couldn't really tell for she was on the other side of the hall. Her posture was perfect and strong and graceful. She didn't smile but she didn't frown or scowl either as she looked over the couples dancing in the middle of the hall.

Still he couldn't quite figure out why his eyes stayed on her as she followed the older couple ahead of her. Perhaps they were her parents. His fingers came to his lips while his elbow remained on the arm rest of his chair as he searched his brain for where he recognized her from. It wasn't until she looked him in the eye that he realized who she was. It was but a split second of eye contact and her expression remained bored and neutral but it was just long enough for him to place her. He would never forget those dark eyes. She was the peasant woman who made him bleed some weeks ago.

He had let her go. He hadn't told her a thing about himself or his past but he had let her go. She wasn't particularly happy about it but she gave him back his sword and turned and left. She had earned it after all. He had never stopped thinking about her though and it annoyed him to no end. And now here she was again only now she was dressed and pampered to a vision no one could fault. Not even him.

He watched her a little longer before he stood up and slowly made his way around the dance floor. Somewhat like a predator planning his next move as he eyed his target. Only he wasn't sneaking. He was walking with his head held high and his focus on the intriguing brunette's back. Her mother noticed him first and she looked vaguely familiar to him but he didn't sit too long on trying to figure it out. Instead he stood beside the nameless and troublesome woman, "may I have this dance?"

She looked at him with a bitter scowl but with her mother's eyes boring in to the side of her skull, she couldn't say no to the king. Not with her mother's obsession with finding her a suitor of high status. There was nothing higher than a king. Even if he was a cold blooded murderer. So she didn't say no but she didn't say yes. When his hand gently took hers, it was cold and rough and unpleasant and she let her arm stretch out straight before she moved to follow him in to the dance. Once they were swallowed by the crowd of dancing couples her hand was given a hard tug and she was slammed in to his chest. It winded her just a bit but she didn't let him see it and covered it with a distasteful smile and a slow exhale as his hand settled on her waist and the other kept her hand with his beside their shoulders.

And then he started leading her to the music and kept her body pressed flush to his.

"I must say I was not expecting to see you here," he commented and her forced smile never really faded.

"Nor I you, your majesty," she replied plainly.

"I have yet to decide if you are a peasant playing out a fantasy or a noblewoman mingling with the common folk."

"Well which would you prefer?"

"I haven't decided yet," he replied and waited for her to speak next as he pushed her around the dance.

With a single humourless laugh and a roll of her eyes, she continued their conversation, "my father Henry is fifth in line to Xavier's throne. So to answer your question, I am not common folk."

"And yet you dress like them in your spare time?" He tilted his head with his mocking tone and she sneered a little deeper before he spun her out and harshly tugged her back in so her back slammed against his chest and his lips were over her ear, "rather odd. Is it not?"

"They are better company," she replied simply and purposely stomped her heel down on his toe causing a very satisfying grunt to sound off next to her ear before she was roughly spun back around and jerked in to his chest again. She simply gave him a resentful smirk with a tilt of her head and he mirrored the expression before pushing her around again.

"You seem to be a little underdressed, my dear. No gown?"

"Disappointed?"

"No. I much prefer to see a woman's legs," he smirked a little and she rolled her eyes.

"I was hunting. Trying to get out of coming here in the first place."

"But mother dearest waited up for you."

"Something like that," she answered shortly and he nodded.

"Did you kill anything?"

"Do you care?"

"No," he did not. But he was very much enjoying the smell that lingered around her. Pine and horses. "You hunt, you use a sword, you steal, and you lie. You are quite a busy woman."

"I have never lied to you."

"Dressing up as a peasant while you were a noblewoman?"

"You never asked my status. You simply assumed. Because you are an arrogant ass who believes he knows all," she smiled irritably and he gave a quiet and short lived laugh under his breath.

"That is something I will never forget while in your presence."

"Good. Now if you will excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be," she finished with as much politeness as she could muster. And then she snatched her hand free of his and slipped away from him, leaving him alone on the dance floor.

David watched her go curiously and after standing still amongst the dancers for a few breaths, he followed her outside. He didn't know what possessed him to do such a thing but he did. He met her out in the crisp evening air at the stone wall surrounding the back of the castle. When he settled beside her she gave an irritated sigh out her nose and rather than taking insult to it, he smiled just a little in amusement.

"What do you want?"

"This is where you needed to be?"

"It is as a matter of fact."

"Whatever for?"

"That is none of your concern."

David gave a short hum in reply but that was all as his cold eyes studied the profile of her face. She was a stunning woman with a fire in her spirit that he had never quite come across before. And he had come across a lot of people. It was a bold spirit that seemed unbreakable and could be tamed by no one and no thing. It was the polar opposite of himself. He had been beaten down and broken throughout time and he had very little interest in trying to recover. He found her admirable in that regard.

"What are you staring at?"

"I find you very intriguing."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"I hope you take it as such. I am not intrigued by many things."

"I am not a thing," she bit and he smiled. That one almost reached his eyes.

"I am intrigued by even fewer people," he corrected and she looked him up and down curiously before accepting it and looking back out at the wide moat surrounding the castle.

"You don't seem like the party type," she tried just to keep the annoying silence at bay.

"Neither do you."

"You already know I am not."

"As you do I," he countered and she grew irritated again. He found that as much as he liked the irritation on her face, he much preferred the calm and peaceful expression. So he fixed it. Which was something else he didn't ever do, "every once in awhile I make a point to make an appearance at a select few of these gatherings to make sure people don't assume I have died."

"So you come to parties to remind everyone that you're a murderous ass with a temper and too much power."

"Precisely."

"What a killjoy," she drawled out and he gave a quiet laugh and a shrug of his shoulder. "Why do you do it?" She asked with a furrow of her brow as she turned to face him and rest her hip against the stone wall.

"Do what?"

"Kill all of those people who cross you in the most insignificant ways, send your black guard loose on the kingdom like a pack of hunting dogs, slaughter entire villages just because it's Wednesday?"

"I am an angry person."

"That is not a good enough reason," she argued in exasperation.

"I do not need to explain myself to you," he snarled and she rocked her head back with a furious smile as her posture straightened further.

"Fine," she waved a hand at him, "shut yourself up in that little box of yours and don't let anyone in. God forbid they actually care about what goes on in that thick skull of yours," she snapped at him and then quickly slipped a small blade from her sleeve and cut the small pouch of coins off his hip.

"Hey-!" He growled and tried to catch her wrist but she moved too fast and the pouch was flung from her hand and caught by a peasant sprinting past them. A man that David didn't even know was there in the first place and was quick to disappear back in to the shadows. Then his head snapped back to the woman in front of him and she looked back with her arms folded over her chest as though it had never happened and they were still arguing over his unwillingness to tell her about himself. "What the hell was that?!" He bellowed and she furrowed her brow and shook her head.

"What the hell do you care? That was mere pocket change to you. You have entire rooms filled with gold back in your castle. To him that is an entire month's worth of food for his whole family," she told him harshly and he paused to come to terms with what she had just said. "You're a damn fool," she growled lowly and moved to step around him but he stepped to the side to cut her off. So she glared at him but it didn't change his mind.

"Who are you?"

"Are you finally asking for my name or are you asking what I am doing?"

It took her to bring it up for him to realize that, no, he did not know her name. He hadn't a clue. "Both."

"Tomorrow you will hear news of how this castle was raided for food and ignored gold by Robin Hood and his Merry Men. A band of men whose motivation for performing such jobs, I find entirely acceptable and promotable. I help where I can."

"The upperclass mole that helps Robin Hood pull off such bold endeavours," he stated slowly in surprise as the rumours proved true and the woman held his gaze without blinking, "and your name?"

"My name is Regina."

"It suits you."

"Thank you."

...

Weeks had gone by since that gala. Nearly three months had passed since their first encounter. He had crossed paths with her since then but they were brief passings. Hardly time for words and mostly only time for brief eye contact and a smug smile. She was getting to him. He couldn't say what it was about her but she was changing him. Slowly.

She lingered in his mind and when making decisions he had made a habit of weighing in the woman's opinion despite her not being there. Most days he hated it. But the calmer days...he felt a little less lonely with her knocking about in his brain. Today was one of his better days and when he saw her stride in to his throne room he was genuinely happy to see her. He hadn't felt that way about anyone in years.

"What is this I hear about the cold hearted king giving back this year's taxes his common folk have paid him? And forgiving those who have not been able to make the cost?" She inquired with a smirk and a raised brow and the blue eyed king smiled back at her. It reached his eyes this time and she was delighted to see the corners of them crinkle. He had also lightened his attire. Rather than layers of black on black he wore various greys that made his blue eyes stand out even more than before. She couldn't help but wonder what had stirred him.

"I don't quite know what got in to me."

"And not a single death in weeks," she commented with a pleased raise of her brow as he stood and walked the rest of the way to her.

"I believe it was a woman that did me in," he started as he walked down the stairs to her and she raised one eyebrow a little higher with her ever growing smirk. "One that hasn't left my mind since a few of my guards brought her in as a simple peasant with a temper," he stated a little softer with a gentler smile and came to a halt no more than a stride from her as he looked back and forth between her stunning dark eyes, "one that made me care."

She hated how his words touched her like they did. For a moment she got lost in those blue eyes and felt her heart warm at the kind life that had been sparked there and was fighting amongst the cold empty soul residing in him. But it was only a moment before a smirk was back on her mouth as she lifted her chin a little higher, "is that supposed to endear me?"

David let the laugh bubble up in his throat and he would do no such thing for anyone but her. She was different. She was special to him. She had given him a purpose to this miserable life he had been wallowing in. This woman who stole coin purses, wore pants to a ball, and aided thieves in their mission to spread wealth, this woman meant everything to him. He had no one but her and wanted no one but her. Even just for the company. "Have dinner with me," he offered and wished his heart hadn't jolted in panic like it had. Her smirk softened in to a pleasant smile and he worried that she would reject him. She had every reason to do just that.

But then she nodded. And he smiled and carefully took her hand in his.


	2. Chapter 2

**So there's a curve ball for you all ;) enjoy! Please leave a review :) I'll be posting this one on tumblr as soon as I get to a computer. The lack of computer is also the reason I haven't been able to post the Day 6 story for the week but I will try my best to get it up tonight!**

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He had had no intention of accepting the invitation to this party until Regina said she would be attending. He doubted she was there for any other reason than to aid in robbing the castle but he had come to accept that he enjoyed watching her do such things. She never kept it for herself, she clearly had no need for it. He kept his mouth shut for it didn't affect him and he enjoyed seeing her smile when she caught him watching and staying quiet.

She was good for him, he decided. She was that perfect balance between good and bad. She lived in the grey area of right and wrong while everyone else seemed so black and white. He felt lighter every time he saw her and he imagined tonight would be no different.

All eyes fell on him the moment he walked in the door. They didn't linger long but they had all glanced and decided it best that they try to avoid catching his eye in the future. His steps were slow as he walked down the stairs with a small scowl that he couldn't help. It was where his face had grown to rest over time. He had been unhappy for so long that his face portrayed annoyance and disinterest constantly. The only person who seemed to be able to change that was Regina.

He hadn't seen her yet though. He barely responded to those who greeted him with nods and quiet 'your majesty's for his focus was on finding Regina. She was, after all, the only reason he had come.

"Your majesty," he greeted with a wide grin and a laugh as he danced past him with his wife. The king's scowl merely intensified with his confused gaze. That only made him laugh more as he skipped away.

David had never been greeted like that before. It threw him off and made him stare as the couple danced away in to the crowd. He recognized him...Robin. What the hell were they up to.

"He cleans up surprisingly well don't you think."

He didn't see her step up beside him but the sound of her voice warmed him rather than startled him and slowly his seemingly permanent scowl curved in to a slight smile as he looked to his left.

"For a forest rat anyway," she smirked and blinked her eyes away from Robin to look at the man beside her. The fact that he was smiling at her made her heart skip just a little.

"Barely recognized him," he agreed and she breathed a single laugh before she straightened her neck and looked back out at the sea of dancing couples. His gaze, however, stayed on her. She was beautiful. But she was always beautiful. Even in rags. Tonight she was absolutely exquisite.

Her gown was blood red, so dark and deep it was nearly burgundy. It's skirt had volume but not too much that it would get in the way of anything or anyone and it's smooth matte fabric cut off well before her shoulders. It had no sleeves and the straight neckline plummeted down in a sharp and narrow V that stopped just below her sternum. Teasing. Her hair had been pulled up and pinned in elegant and tidy swirls to elongate her neck and show off that pretty collarbone with a single diamond hanging above it on the most delicate silver chain. Diamonds and emeralds hung from her ears, her eyes were inked and smudged just so with black and touches of deep red, and her tempting lips were painted a dark red that matched her gown. She was truly without flaw.

"You are absolutely stunning this evening, my dear," he stated and the corners of her mouth curled higher as the corners of her eyes creased.

"Thank you," she smiled and then turned her head to look him up and down. The only black on him was his boots. The rest was light grey with silver stitching and silver buttons. It made her smile, "you look pretty good yourself," she smirked and she earned herself a smile that showed all of his teeth.

Breathing out the quietest of laughs, he looked back at the dance and after a moment or two, he offered her his hand, "dance with me."

He was absolutely delighted when she placed her hand in his and let him lead her down the last steps to the level dance floor. Unlike the last time he danced with her, he pulled her in gently and only when she had settled against him with a smile did he start leading her around the floor.

"Such a gentleman," she mocked with a playful smirk.

"I feel I owe it to you to give you a proper dance after our previous one," he replied with a smile that seemed to come easier and easier.

"And if I should stomp on your toes once again?" She teased as he twirled her out and then back in.

"I shall try not to lose my temper," he smirked and she smirked with a dip of her chin.

"How kind of you."

"I do what suits me. I am by no means kind."

"Of course. And what is it that suits you tonight?" She inquired with an amused smile and pretended to ignore the way his thumb moved over the side of hers as they danced through the crowd.

"Keeping you in my company for as long as possible," he told her simply and she smiled while the increasingly familiar smile played on his face once again.

"And why is that?" She questioned a little quieter as a hopeless grin started to pull on her mouth as she let herself sink a little deeper in to him.

"Because I enjoy it," he confessed and she gave him a delightful little laugh in return before he spun them around and twirled her beneath his arm once more.

"The king has found it in him to enjoy something? I don't believe that for a second," she teased with a grin that was all teeth and low laughter.

"I must admit I am not certain what I am to do with myself," he smiled and felt an odd sensation of warmth grow in his chest and belly when she hummed through a closed smile and intertwined their fingers by their shoulders. It took him a few more steps in their dance to recognize the gentle ache and burn in his heart but eventually he did figure it out. He wanted to kiss her.

What a terrifying thing to desire.

When she stepped away from him he panicked for a moment, fearing he had said something or done something to offend her. But the song had merely ended and her dark eyes held no annoyance as she smirked and curtsied and he followed suit with a slight bow. Their fingers remained intertwined and he found he rather loved it.

But what happened next took mere seconds.

He watched Regina glance to her left and he watched her and Robin share a happy smirk. And then he saw her gaze flick to something over Marian's shoulder and her grin slowly faded. So his did as well as he twisted to see what she was looking at. But he didn't find it before his focus was snapped back to their hands when she slipped hers free and pushed Robin to the floor.

Then there was a zip through the air and a sickening thwack of an arrow as Regina's left shoulder flung backward and Marian's startled scream silenced the entire hall. Voices went dead, laughter was gone, the instruments gracelessly stopped playing, and all eyes snapped to the woman in red with an arrow dangerously close to the centre of her heart.

His entire body went ice cold.

He was frozen in place as he stared with wide eyes at his precious brunette who looked just as shocked and confused as he did. And then she swayed and collapsed in to Robin's arms when he leapt to his feet to catch her with a terrified cry of her name.

"Regina," Robin breathed in a panic as he gently laid her down on the cool marble floor and watched the panic and fear settle in her eyes, "Regina what the hell were you thinking?!"

"You were going to get shot, you idiot," she replied breathlessly, her words quick and threaded together as her heart rate soared and the pain flooded her body.

"That doesn't mean you get yourself killed in the process!"

"Call my mother."

"What?!"

"Robin, call Cora," she cried out as tears pooled in her eyes.

"Regina, she's not here," he shook his head as his own sobs threatened to settle in his chest. She simply let out a pained and terrified cry and slipped a pin from her hair and put it in his hand and held it closed. He proceeded to shake his head in confusion at the pearl bobble.

"Call her," she pleaded in a whisper and felt her body start to quiver and whether it was out of fear, pain, or cold, she couldn't say. She felt all of them. Then Robin's face was replaced with David's and he looked absolutely terrified and frantic, "D-avid," she cried and tried to breathe but her chest felt heavy.

"Regina," he shook his head and took her shaking hands in his and held on tight, "Regina, I-"

"I'm sorry."

"No," he shook his head and felt his tears sting his eyes as hers fell in to her hair, "no, Regina, you are going to be fine."

"No I'm not," she whimpered and sucked in as good a breath as she could get and tried to ignore the faint taste of blood in her mouth.

He was crying now but he didn't care as he frantically examined the arrow's shaft protruding from her chest as her blood and his tears stained her flawless skin. "No. I-, no, Regina, you can't," he sobbed and squeezed her hands tighter and she did the same, "you cannot leave me without you," he argued miserably with a shake of his head and she pushed hers back in to the cold floor with a cry through her teeth.

"Cora!" Robin shouted again but nothing happened as he frustratedly examined the pin with a pearl on its end.

"I'm so cold," she whispered through her tears and felt him lower down on top of her and press a kiss to her white knuckles as he cried. It broke her heart. "There is only one thing I regret about you," she pushed out on a hard and shaky breath as she forced herself to stay lucid and he moved his head so he could look at her. She hated seeing him so miserable. It hurt almost as much as the arrow did with every beat of her heart, "and it's that I didn't kiss you after our dinner," she cried out softly and closed her eyes as she squeezed his hands tighter to try and keep herself grounded.

A single miserable breath pushed from his lungs as his tears fell freely, "you can kiss me later, my dear," he promised and she closed her eyes and gave a laugh that quickly turned in to a miserable series of quiet sobs. He didn't know what to do.

"Can you kiss me now?" She pleaded quietly and her next sob was muffled by his firm kiss. It only made her cry harder when she tasted his tears on his lips. It was the most precious kiss she had ever received. She knew how hard it was for him to give something up so vulnerable as a kiss.

Her lips were colder than they were supposed to be and his brow creased in utter misery at the knowledge that this was going to be the first and last time he would kiss her. It absolutely ruined him. He broke it with a sob that shook his whole body as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I am sorry," she cried with her eyes still closed and lifted a hand to cradle the side of his face. His cold hand had never felt so warm against her skin as it did when it covered hers on his face.

"Please don't go," he whispered.

"Stay strong, my love. And stay good," she cried out softly and tried to suck in one more breath as the red of her closed eyelids started to fade in to black.

"Regina," he breathed in a desperate plea for her to stay. But her grip disappeared around his tight hand and the other went limp against his face as her shaky breaths faded to nothing against his lips. "No," he sobbed and pressed his head harder in to hers. Nothing changed. He only cried harder.

With an enraged and truly devastated scream, Robin threw the pretty trinket on the ground and shattered it. Then he fell to his knees and started to cry with the tears already rolling down his cheeks. The rest of the guests remained silent and shocked at the whole event.

Mere seconds after the pearl had shattered, an incredibly furious Cora had smoked herself in to the hall. That fury quickly disappeared and was replaced with terror when she laid eyes on her daughter and the king crying over her still body.

David was livid when he was pushed aside but when he shouted at the woman she simply swung an arm at him and her magic sent him flying back. That only angered him further but he reined it back when he recognized the woman as Regina's mother. She was panicking and mumbling and frantic and his rage was quickly reignited when she plunged her hand in to her daughter's chest and tore out her heart, "what the hell are you doing?!" He roared but she ignored him as he pushed himself to his feet. Before he could get back to them she quickly cast a series of spells over Regina's body and he could see the glow of them linger over her before the mother and daughter disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

She was gone.

Hardly a minute ago they were smiling and he was holding her hand and now he was standing over a pool of her blood he hadn't even noticed left her body. The only light in his life was gone. He didn't think he could hurt this much. His tears were still falling down his face as he turned and all but ran from the castle grounds.

...

He hadn't left his castle since he arrived back there after the party. That was four days ago. There had been no news from the Mills Manor and Regina had been assumed dead. He had watched her die. He had felt the life leave her body as death selfishly took her under his wing. He hadn't eaten since that night. He was starving but every time he tried to eat he felt sick.

The castle was silent. Everyone tiptoed around him and it was for good reason. He had nearly killed several of his guards and servants, only stopping when Regina's last request of him echoed softly in his mind and threatened to make him cry.

Stay strong. Stay good.

It was hard when he felt so completely ruined and miserable. And angry. Oh he was so angry it hurt. He wanted to kill, he wanted others to feel his pain but he knew it would do him no good and it would disgrace that darling woman.

She had shown him the light at the end of a seemingly endless tunnel. She had made him feel again, had given him a taste of what it was like to be happy. She had given him a taste of what it was like to be free. He hated her for it. He had once been content in this cold dark castle. But now he was miserable after sampling such a bright and feisty soul as the one that had once resided in Regina.

He missed her so much.

He barely made the effort to look up as the doors to his throne room opened. It had become habit to sit in his throne and wait for her to come back to him. He knew she wouldn't. But he waited anyway.

Robin had never seen a more broken man. His eyes were sullen and bloodshot, his face looked sharper and more hollow as though he hadn't eaten in too long, his posture was slumped and defeated, his face unshaven...Robin himself was not coping well either but he certainly wasn't in as poor shape as this silent and lonely king. He watched him through cold dead eyes that rarely blinked and Robin's heart ached for the man. He had lost more than the rest of them had when Regina died. Despite only knowing her a fraction of the time he and his Merry Men had, this king had lost more.

"She spoke of you often you know," he started and the king watched him like a ghost. Or a stone statue, "we always teased her and promised her you were a lost cause. But she stood up for you and assured us you weren't all that bad," he tried a smile but it didn't sit well in his chest so his face fell again in to misery and silence hung between him and the motionless king as Robin looked at his feet.

"Regina was a woman unlike any other I have ever met. As I am sure you know. She saw the best in the worst of us and I will never understand how she did it. But she was always right. I do have faith that you will do right by her. And should you ever need anything, the Merry Men and I will be there. Regina thought very highly of you and we owe it to her to trust her judgement. There will always be a place for you among us. Whether it be for the odd conversation, or a permanent place in our ranks," he promised and the king still didn't move. Robin didn't blame him. He hadn't exactly been expecting an answer anyway.

"And should you wish to attend, we have organized a small ceremony for Regina tomorrow morning at sunrise," he offered and then felt a twinge of sorrow and added a little quieter, "it was her favourite time of day. She always said a good sunrise brought hope to your day."

David didn't know that about her. He was befuddled by this man's presence and too tired and distraught to make sense of why he had come. Or how he had gotten in for that matter. Perhaps Regina had been right. His guards were oblivious. Regardless of that, this thief shouldn't care what happened to him. He hardly even knew the man and had only seen him in passing. "It is not worth my time," he stated quietly and didn't even try to hide the exhaustion in his empty voice. Robin simply nodded but didn't leave.

"If you should happen to change your mind, we will be holding it at her favourite viewpoint for such times of day."

...

It was a ridiculous idea. Pointless. But like all previous nights, he hadn't been able to sleep so he reasoned he may as well saddle his horse and ride to waste the time. If he so happened to follow Robin Hood's directions then that was mere coincidence. It hadn't taken too long to get there and the black sky was just starting to break in to a pale blue at the horizon over the lake.

He was greeted by small smiles at his arrival and it was Marian that silently offered to take his stallion from him and put him with the rest of the horses. With a subtle nod, he let go of the reins and continued his walk up the hill to the ridge overlooking the lake. He didn't say a word, he hadn't felt much like talking now that Regina was no longer there to talk to. He hadn't quite realized how strong a hold on him she had until she left him.

"Glad you could make it," Robin smiled kindly but knew quite well that the sorrow still lingered in his expression. The king didn't say a word. Only offered him a glance before looking back at the lake.

David watched silently. He wasn't patient nor was he impatient. He had simply just lost all sense of time these past few days. However, the very moment the sun burst its rays over the horizon he was hit square in the chest with the reality of it all. Regina was gone. He was never going to see her again. He loved her. And all he had left of her was this place and this sunrise. There were tears in his eyes in an instant and with every new height the creeping sun reached, his strength grew weaker and weaker until he had fallen to his knees to watch the bright colours reflect off the water's surface.

He was alone again unless Robin's words were true and he could find company in this band of thieves. But did he really want that when all he saw in this group was what was missing from it? It was absolute agony to watch the sun rise. His chest and throat ached with heartbreak and it wasn't too long before he crumbled in to nothing again and tipped forward and started crying. He was too tired and in too much pain to care what the others around him thought of such a display.

Robin's heart broke all over again for the man and he slowly crouched down beside him and rubbed a hand over his shaking shoulder as his own tears fell at the sight of the sun rise. "Let it out," he encouraged and truly didn't believe the suffering man could stop if he wanted to.


	3. Chapter 3

**The third and final chapter. As much as I do not want to be done with this story, we all know that the things before everything settles are the best parts of a story. So I am going to leave it here as a small little story to make you cry and smile when you need it. Please leave a review :) I would love to hear your thoughts. And hey, if I'm pushed hard enough I can whip up a little bonus chapter ;)**

* * *

Every day for two weeks he had ridden up to that ridge for the sunrise. Every day it got easier. Little bit by little bit he regained the ability to function again. He could eat now and most nights he could sleep for more than a couple hours at a time. But he always went up there for the sunrise. It had been hard for the first five or so but he found it incredibly therapeutic. Like he regained a part of her with every one he watched. Sometimes he found Robin there but they rarely spoke. Simply watched the sun and then went their separate ways.

Today was no different. He had watched the sun rise high and while there were clouds blocking most of the colours and light, he remained vigilant and found peace in himself to fight through another day.

Just as he watched the sunrise every morning, he sat in his throne when he got back and listened to the people. Some of those at that disastrous ball had even come to offer him condolences on losing Regina. If he were to say a part of him didn't still wait for her to walk through those doors with a smirk on her mouth, he would be lying. A large part of him still waited for her to come back even though he knew she never would. Every day for two weeks he watched the sun rise and then returned to sit in his throne and wait for her to come back while distracting himself with the words of his people.

Today's routine was no different despite the obscured sunrise. So he found himself walking mindlessly to his throne to sit in it once more. But this morning he was confused to find someone already sitting in it. A woman. With one leather clad leg crossed over the other, black heeled leather boots, a dark purple coat fastened with silver buttons, long dark curls, smirking red lips, and dark eyes he could never forget no matter how hard he tried. She had him stopping dead in his tracks.

"You should really have this cleaned, my love."

It was her voice. It could be no one else's but it was impossible. "This isn't funny," he scorned lowly but there was more than a hint of hope in his tight voice. Something she must have heard for her smirk softened in to a tender smile as she tilted her head.

"It isn't a joke," she promised gently and he drew in and blew out a stressed and shaky breath as he looked away from her but quickly looked back as though he had made grave mistake in looking away and she was gone again. But she didn't go anywhere. Only when he was focused back on her with all his might, did she stand up from his throne and slowly stepped down the few stairs and carefully walked toward him, stopping barely half a stride from him.

She smelled like pine and horses again. It brought tears to his eyes and he shook his head as he looked between those kind and spirited dark eyes. He was terrified to blink, "I felt you die."

Regina gave a pained smile and shook her head once, her heart aching at the sound of such pain and distress in the voice she had only really known to be hard and cold or angry, "my mother is a very powerful sorceress. She made it to me just in time."

"She ripped your heart out of your chest," he stated slowly in confusion and further distress because he didn't understand.

"She stopped what very little life I had left from being lost through the death of my body. She then proceeded to suspend any further change in my body, keeping any more blood from being spilt. After that it was a simple preservation spell to keep my body from deteriorating," she explained and he watched and listened carefully with tears still in his doubtful but oh so hopeful eyes.

"The pearl that I gave Robin was a tracking spell and I knew if it was destroyed she would come for she would believe me to be trying to run away again. She has spent the past two weeks and a half weeks healing my body and calling the life back in to my heart. What I wasn't expecting was to wake up to her looking so distraught and panicked. I have received more care and affection from her in the past eight hours than I have in my entire life," she chuckled lightly and let it slowly fall silent as she looked at him. He was absolutely terrified.

Without breaking eye contact, she reached forward and gently took his hands in hers and squeezed them softly when his brow furrowed with his building emotion. "I am here, David. I will not leave your side again unless you wish me to," she promised and he drew in a shaky breath and detangled one hand from her fingers so he could reach forward and touch her face.

She leaned in to his touch and her skin was warm and soft against his fingertips. He didn't think he would ever see her again, "I missed you so much," he breathed out on a huffed exhale as his first tears finally broke free.

"I'm not going anywhere, my love," she whispered and the most relieved and heart breaking smile lit up his face. Even though it was tainted with pain and suffering, it was the best smile she had seen on him yet. It made her laugh in utter joy before he silenced her with a kiss.

He kissed her with everything he had. He kissed her properly. The fingers touching her face tangled deep in to her silky hair as he swivelled his head and shrugged his shoulders up. He pressed himself to her and let go of her hand so he could spread his over the small of her back to keep her there. Her hands settled on his wrist by her head and his shoulder and he simply couldn't get enough of her. When she opened his mouth to him he tried not to be greedy but just as she always had, she took him in stride and held nothing against him. In fact she simply kissed him back just as fiercely.

She was there. Her lips were warm and her mouth no longer carried the slight tang of iron present in her blood, her breaths were sharp and hot against his lips, and the scent of fresh pine and sweet horses kept his tears rolling down his cheeks and his brow furrowed. He adored this woman like he had no one else. Her silky hair, her full lips, her clever tongue, her beautiful figure, her dark eyes, her scent, her companionship, her feisty temper, her kind smile, her songful laughter, her rich voice, her open heart, everything. He could not find a single flaw in the woman that has awoken his heart and soul.

He was no longer alone.

Teeth collided and nipped, tongues brought out moans, lips suffocated and locked, they were both panting and needy and were trying to take more and more. And he had tears rolling down his cheeks the whole time. With a whimper she rose on her toes and wrapped her arms securely around his neck and he moved his hands over her hips to keep her there. Death's chill was nowhere to be found as her warm body pressed against his with one final series of kisses. Even when they broke it to breathe and smile they stayed just hovering and their grip on one another never loosened.

"Good to know all a girl has to do to get a kiss like that is drop dead," she teased and he laughed.

"That's not funny."

"Oh it's a little funny," she grinned and he laughed but she suspected it to be more from the release of stress than anything else. She laughed with him regardless and bumped her nose against his before he rested his forehead against hers. "So, my dark and twisted king," she spoke quietly and intimately for it was all that was required while in such close proximity, "what way shall you have with me today?"

David laughed a little more as a couple lingering tears rolled down his cheeks and his fingers played with the ends of her soft hair. "I simply wish to hold you and listen to your heart beating," he breathed against her lips and his anxiety over confessing such a thing was soothed when she hummed and kissed him. Softly, slowly, and tenderly so it remained on his lips even after she had parted from him.

"Sounds perfect, my love," she whispered and left her forehead resting against his as her fingers swirled slowly through his short hair.

...

 _Regina,_

 _As I know you are quite aware, I am not as well spoken about the things residing in my heart as you are. Nor am I particularly giving about what terrors reside in my past. I try to hold faith that you will remain so loyal and accepting but I cannot help but fear that with every piece I give you, it could be the one that sends you away. I know you understand that and as I write this letter to you, Dear One, I cannot help but wonder how you have managed to learn such things. I have yet to fathom why you even began in the first place._

 _You have invested such effort and patience in to me, such kindness and affection, and I have not been able to return such gifts in the potency that I wish. You terrify me. Everyday you burrow deeper and I fear that if I misstep you will take my heart with you when you leave. I fear it because it is true. I am yours, Dear One, and this is my attempt to express what my voice refuses. With this quill, I promise to tell you what you need to hear and I will not accept your selfless humility, for what I write is true and you deserve every word._

 _You breathed life in to my soul. You filled my lungs with air so that I was no longer drowning. With every infuriating word that left your perfect mouth you stoked the fire in my heart and with every smile and every glance you added kindling. I was a poor excuse for a man before you came in to my life. I was hollow and I was cruel and you, Dear One, have taught me to be kind. Your name leaving my lips has the power to bring me to tears because, my god, you found me. You saved me. You have chosen to stay with me for reasons I truly cannot understand._

 _You beautiful soul, have decided to stay with me despite all of the others out there who I am certain would cause you so much less grief and anger. Even with this quill I cannot express to you how much that means to me. How grateful I am and how moved I am that you are here every morning I wake. You are a precious treasure finer than the purest diamond. You have given me a reason to live._

 _You have taught me to smile by giving me one to mirror, you have taught me to laugh by lending me yours, you have taught me to care by letting me be your shadow, and you have taught me to love by simply being. Your hands have reminded mine that a gentle touch can move someone far better than a harsh one. Your voice has replaced my conscience with reason and faith in the good of mankind. Your kiss...Dear One, your kiss._

 _With it you have silenced the anger I once held so close. With it you have erased every pain in my heart. I was weighted with so much pain, Dear One. There was one before you, a woman who meant everything to me and her death took a toll on me greater than I had expected. It was a wound that never healed and I was left alone in the dark with no one worth living for. No one until you came like the North Star pointing me home._

 _You are my home, Regina. You took away my pain, you have made me the man I am today. I will follow you anywhere for I do not want to be anywhere else. I lost you once before I truly had you. I have not felt such pain as when I tried to accept I was never going to see you again. My entire world had fallen apart. I tried to stay strong but it was hard when all I wished to do was die and find you amongst the shadows. But you relieved me of such torture once again._

 _You dissolved my pain once more and these months with you at my side have been the best months of my entire life. You have made my life mean something when it meant nothing to anyone including myself. You were the only one who saw me. Robin once told me that you could see the good in the worst of us and I must say, Dear One, it is a gift I am most grateful for and one I owe my life to._

 _And yet after all of this I cannot find the courage to speak to you of the things that haunt me still. So I am asking a favour of you when I have no right to do such a thing after all you have given me with so little in return. I ask you please for more patience for I promise you I am trying my very best despite my temper. I ask you please for more kindness for it gives me strength when I am most upset. Finally I ask you please to keep loving me the way you do now for I do not know what will happen if you stop._

 _I have no right to ask such things of you, Dear One, and I know that your patience runs thin at times because of me but I swear to you I am doing the best I can. I love you with every fibre in my body. I breathe for you, my heart beats for you, and I cannot imagine my life without you. So please, Dear One, continue your faith in me and I will do everything not to disappoint you._

 _I do not know when you will receive this letter. Perhaps you will never read it for I will have been able to find the courage to say these things to your beautiful face. I believe that unlikely, however. It took a great deal to write this for you, my love, and I know it will take a great deal more for me to surrender it to you. I am not a brave man which is something you were very quickly able to point out when we first met. So I do hope you do not hold it against me for setting this down for you to find when you are alone without me near. I love you, Dear One, with all of my heart and more._

 _Your fondly named,_

 _Twisted King._


End file.
